Improvement in calculating-machines



B Sheets-Sheet 1 J.B.ALEXANDBR. GALGULATING MACHINE.

Patented Mar. 15, 1864*.

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3 Sheets-Sheet 2. J. B. ALEXANDER. GALUULATING MACHINE.

No. 41,898. Patented Mar. 15, 1864.

www l Y J. B. ALEXANDER. GALGULATING MAGEINB. No, 41,898.

3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

Patented Mar. 15, 1864i.

U NITEDI STATES PATENT TOEFIOE.4

JOSEPH E. ALEXANDER, O E BALTIMORE, MARYLAND',

IMPROVEMENT IN cALcuLATlNe-MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 4 l.898, dated Marchl', 1864.

To.. all whom, it may conceive.:

' Be it known that I, JosEPH B. ALEXANDER, Of the city and county of Baltimore, and State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Calculating TMachines; and I do here, ydeclare that .thefollowing is a full, olea and exact description. of the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part ,of this specilicatiomj in which- 1 Figure l represents in perspective an ex` ternal view of the machine. Fig. 2 represents a vertical section through the same. Figs. 3 and 4 represent in perspective detached por- ',tions ofthe .machine not distinctly seen'inj *the other iig es. Fig. 5 represents a verti- .cal section through the machine, and showing the opposite sides of the wheels from those shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 6 represents a plan of setting the main wheelsall at zero at one oper` ation, for rearranging them tocommence a new operation.

Similar letters of reference, where they occur in the several figures, denote like parts of the machine in all cases.

My invention consists in a series of eight (more or less) sets'of wheels and igu red drums, so geared and combined and each set so con-- nected with the set next adjacent to it on the left-hand side as to faithfully record vthe ref sult of any sum in the four cardinal rules of arithmeticviz., `addition, lsubtraction, mul tiplication, and division.

v The machine is so arranged and combined as to producea correct result whether Worked from the left to the right or from the right to the left. One set of wheels are marked units, another tens, another'hundreds, another thousands, tc., as seen in Fig. l, each set of v wheels, when added to the adjacent'one on its left, increasing the power of its right-hand set by ten. y i

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed tol dev scribe the same with reference to the draw-` ings.

In a suitable box o r case I arrange a series of wheels, of which A represents one, made of brass or other suitable metal, and having on its perimeter fty cogs or teeth, and revolving loosely upon the shaft H.

I is-a lever, with its innerend supported .loosely by the shaft H, and Lis the handle of -said lever, towhich is attached an indicator-,t

K is a ratchet or catch attached to the lever l, andJ a weight on the ratchet to'keep it in its proper working position.

'B is a wheel containing ten teeth. to which is attached a drum, M, on which is marked at regular intervals the iguresl, 2, 3, 4', 5, 6, 7,

V8, 9, O. This wheel, gears with'the main wheel,

A, and records the result of addition, as will be hereinafter explained.

C is a wheel similar to that B, and gears with it, and, being figured like B, marks the subtraction result;v for, A asN a movement of the 'wheel B adds'afiigure to the one standing at the aperture Z, so does the same movement subtract a figure from the onestandng on C at its aperture.

D and D composea double pinion connect` ed by the drum X. The wheel Dis moved one notch by a spring cog or tooth Working on a pivot on the left-hand side of the lmain wheel A. These spring-@ogs z' occur at every tenth tooth on the wheel A, as is distinctly seen in Fig. 2'. When one of these spring cogs i comes in contact with atooth of wheel D, it

,moves said wheel the extent of one notch and then escapes, and thus D is moved one notch, and as D is geared into the teeth of the next wheel similar to A,it consequently moves that wheel one notch, andtherefore at every ten carries one up on that wheel, and so on throughout the' series.

' P is a pulley or roller hung upon an arm, O, and fitting between the teeth of the wheel A, and forced therein by the spring Q. When `th`e wheel A .moves until one 1of its teeth passes the center of the roller P, said wheel suddenly moves forward under the pressure 'of the lever I; but if theV tooth does not reachl the center and the lever is withdrawn the wheel A starts back. By this arrangement it is impossible to make a mistake by'carrying the indicator attached tothe lever a little over or a little under the line drawn above the iigure to be reached on the-face-plate, as seen in Fig. 1.

Z Z are apertures along each line of figured drums M, through which are presented a row 0fv iigures showing the result of the working of the levers and where the answers to the,

Sums Wprked are to be found, and-'Which may be i inmediately restored to naughts by the turning of a crank, and adevice such as that shown .at Fig. 6. Y

F is a ratchet-wheelatiached to a drum, G, Wit-h a pin projecting from its side, as at s. The shaft Y of this ratchetwheel, which is turned by a crank, has a pin, as at p, between each wheel, F and drum G throughout the series. These pins p, coming in contact, restore all .the figured-drums io naughts orto the zeromarks by one revolution, and may stop at the springcheck, as seen at' L, Fig. 1, in connection with another cylinder series there shown. rlhe Wheel F is one of the series which records division, and is operated by the lever R,which, Y

when depressed, pulls down the ratehet-wheel one notch at a time by the hook T, which is kept in place by a spring. S; or a Weight may be-used. The lever R is thrown up again by a spring at its .fulcrum, and thus sets the hook T in another notch. A

,"vV is a spring vrubbing in a groove in the drum G to retard its velocity when moved,

land U'is a catch to prevent any backward morion of the wheeler drum when the hook T ascends. v

Fig. 2 represents a View of the left-hand sides of a s et ci" wheels in the series, and the letters of reference are the-same asin Fig.` 5.

13 i i, dro., show the spring-coge Working by the springs kick. When the springcog which matches every tenth cog on the wheel A. comes in contact with the double pinion l),it marks thegure 9 on the drum of the addition`wheel,

ro be seen through the aperture Z. lf moved one 4notch forward, the Wheel D moves one notch, and D is moved one notch. The figure 0 stands in the aperture in place of 9, and the figure l stands in the aperture on the drum of the next set to the left.` lf the spring-cog has reached the downward tooth. of wheel D,

marking 9, and the next set of Wheels be moved, D being attached to D', which `latter.

gearing into wheel A of the next set, both would be moved. Consequently the springcog would dy' under the moving teeth'of D,ris

ing behind each passino'v tooth andready to movel)forward one notch whenever the-first set is 'Worked again.

Cihatlthe external working of my machine may be more fully understood l will give a more min-'nte description by reference to Fig. ,l of the drawings. lf one of the levers 'marked C be raised to the figure d on. the faceplate, then the gurei will stand in the aperture of its corresponding drum in the addition-line, .The lever C will fallback to the startin'gpoint by its own Weight. lits catch slips over the eogs of the main Wheel' in its descent, but catches the irst cog in going up, and holds until it carries the wheel over as far as to the .desired figure.

New that l have added 4 `to naught or zero, if the 'lever be again moved to f5 onthe face-platewillstand in the-aperture,

as the sum oi 4 and 5 make 9. lf the lever be again raised to l on the faceplate() will stand .the left, and so ou.

in the aperture and l will stand win the aperture of the next set, and recording 10, and so on.

to carry the lever marked ,nnits to each figure on the face-plate as they stand in the unit-column to-be added, taking care to bringthe lever back for each gure to be added. When done2with the rst column,takethe next lever, marked tens,7 and play ofi' all the :figures in the second column to the left; then take the next lever, marked hundreds and play on" all the gures in the next column to When all the figures have been Worked off in the columns in which they stand,`the true result of the sum will be found 'standing in the apertures of the addition result, as shown in l. The machine will give the same result if worked backward or from left to right, and this constitutes one of` the peculiarities of my machine.

To do a sum in multiplication, use the machine as in addition. Forinstance, if li355 is to be multiplied, take the first lever and move it to the gure 5 on the face-plate six times, movel the next lever on the left to the gure six times, move the next lever to the left to the figured six times;v now take the second lever'(w hich 4would rest under vthe 3 or" the figures 35) and move it to the gure 5 three times, movethe next lever to theiigure Sthree times, and the next lever to the figure d three times; then in the addition-line oi' apertures Will be found the correct result. In. multiplication the lever handled iirst must always be in they column of the ngure used as a multiplier. Thus, if the multiplier be @aV/'2, for 2 commence with the units -lever and Work to the iefit;I` for 7 commence with thetenslever and then to the left again; for 4 commence with the hundreds lever, and for 6 commence with the thousands-lever. Multiplication by tiny-machine may be Worked as well backward as forward, or from left to right or right to left, giving always a correct result,- Whichwill be shown at the openings addition result.

Y'lo do subtractiomset up the largest sum in thesubtraction-line, then Work oi' the vfigures of the smaller sum with the levers on the columns onwhich they stand, and in the place of the first sum set up-the subtraction-line`` Will be found the true remainder,l Whether Worked from right to left, or vice versa..

To do divisiomset up the sum to be divided in the subtraction-line of apertures, commence subtracting the divisor from the left-hand end of the sum, and for each time the divisor is taken out depress the' key of the division result immediately corresponding with the position ofthe last igure in the divisor., When the division will no longer come out of the rst gures of the sum, move it to the .right and subtract again, taking care to use the next key to the right'in the division result, and so on. When the divisor can no longer be subtracted from the sum in the line of apertures To vdoa sum in addition,it is onlynecessaryl vwill cause the wheels A to turn with them in of the division result will be found the number of times the divisor will pass into the sum, and in the subtraction-line will be found the remainder, if there be one.

lu Fig. 6 l have shown how all the series of Wheels A may be brought into position, -for beginning a new sum in any of the rules laid down', by one single operation, or by simply turning the crank E e singlerevolution. The wheels G of the division result are all restored into their normal position by the crank K', Fig. l, through the pins s p, heretofore described, and when arranged the crank is held by the catch-spring L.

instead or the pins, I may use a series of nains, A', which are fastened to the shaft E, while the wheels A are loose thereon; and on the sides oi' the Wheels A are arranged a series of spring dogs or pawls, B, held against the nains A by the springs U. These parvis', catching against the shoulders of the earns,

one direction, while in the other direetiou they will slip over and allow the Wheels te work independent of the earns. rEhe operation or result is substantially the saine that l of the pins, and may be regarded as a modi cation of that arrangement.

`What claim as new and as of my invention isl. The lcombination of the separate levers with the separate sets of wheels, so that the speed of calculations is gained from right to left or from left to right by arithmetieal pregression, as described and represented.

2. ln combination with the Wheels A, the spring-segs i, substantially as and for the purvpose set forth.

3. So eornbininga set of figured drums with suitable means or operating them as that` y will show subtraction, Working in combina tion with those which reeord addition, substantially as herein described and represented.

d, The Combination and arrangement or" ured drums, Wheels, faceplates, and levers, so that addition, subtraction, multiplication, division may be Worked out on one niaehine, substantially as described.

e, ,Tnv d. l). lin-ludik NBER. Witnesses:

B. Sfr-ouf* mios', 

